A Danbury woman was arrested Friday for leaving her dog outside during bitterly cold weather, police said.
Maria Romero, 43, of Abbott Avenue, was charged with animal cruelty after police found a “distressed” black lab / shepherd mix in her rear porch, according to the report.
Police received reports about an endangered dog at around 9:30 a.m. Temperatures were in the single digits Friday morning and wind chill values were below zero.
When Officer David Melendez arrived, he observed the 2-year-old dog barking, jumping and scratching the doors, police said. No one was in the apartment at the time, but a neighbor told police she woke up at 7:20 a.m. and the dog was already there.
The officer also found several piles of dog feces in the porch but no food or water for the dog, according to the report. The dog was immediately taken to Danbury Animal Control.
Later that morning, police finally made contact with Romero and she turned herself in. She posted $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 27.
The woman said she left the dog outside at 9 a.m. because he refused to go inside, police said.
Romero decided not take the dog back and he has already been adopted by a different family, according to the Animal Control office.